


Gul Whiskers

by eilu



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Pet Cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-29 19:17:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12637473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eilu/pseuds/eilu
Summary: Julian and Garak receive a cat. Garak doesn't like it.





	1. Chapter 1

"There must be some sort of mistake. We didn't order a cat." Julian told the young ensign with a shake of his head.

"Doctor Bashir, it was unloaded in cargo bay six stating it was for you and Mr. Garak. Since neither of you called us, we assumed you just forgot." the Andorian replied with an agitated twitch of her antenna. "I didn't really feel… comfortable calling Mr. Garak, that's why I came to the infirmary."

Bashir peeked into the carrier and barely suppressed a gasp. Not only had someone sent him a cat by mistake, someone had sent what appeared to be a very sick feline. Perhaps the real owner was just too embarassed to ask for help? That must be it. Once it was okay, surely they would come forward.

"Er, well, I suppose we can't just leave it like this." he told the crewman. "Can you check with the freighter it came in on, see if they have information on where it came from?"

"Of course, doctor. I take it you'll be keeping the cat?"

"Until further notice, yes." Julian distractedly replied, already scanning the creature with his tricorder.

\---

Garak came home to find Julian sitting on the floor, petting a somewhat odd-looking creature in their living room. It somewhat resembled the O'Briens' pet, with one glaring difference.

"My dear, what is _that?_ "

"It's a cat, Garak" he replied, getting back up on his feet.

"I thought cats were fluffy, like Chester. Why is this one bald? Is it one of your patients?"

"No, actually. I thought it was sick too, but apparently it's a Sphynx and they're naturally hairless."

"And it's here because…?"

"Ensign Jhota delivered it to me at the infirmary. Someone left it in cargo bay six with a note saying it's ours."

"You ordered us a cat? Really Julian, we've barely been living together a month! I know you tend to get carried away–"

"I didn't order us a cat!" Julian interrupted, waving his hands. "It's probably some sort of mistake. I told the ensign to contact the freighter it came in so we can clear things up."

"Is this one of Jadzia's famous practical jokes?"

"No, I don't think so. She wouldn't involve an animal in a joke, that would be irresponsible."

"So what are we doing with this cat?" Garak asked with a quirk of his eyeridge. The animal in question was now winding itself around his legs.

"It's staying here for the time being, until we clear this up. I've already replicated most of the things it'll need."

"Can't it stay somewhere else? The security office maybe? Surely the one of the cells should be enough space."

"Garak, it's a _cat_  not a criminal. Besides, Odo won't be able to care for it."

"Well how about with the Chief's family? They already have a cat, what's one more?"

"No, no. Gul Whiskers can't stay with them precisely because of that. He has to be quarantined from other animals, in case he's carrying some sort of pathogen. It's standard procedure."

"Wait, what did you say?" Garak hissed, his eyes narrowing. "Oh Mogrund, don't tell me you've already _named_  it!"

"He already spent the whole day with me. I couldn't keep calling him 'Cat'! You can call him 'Whiskers' for short, although he does seem to prefer Gul…"

Garak rolled his eyes. He knew his partner had a soft heart, but this was beyond ridiculous. "Okay, fine… _it_  can stay. But only until this is all sorted out and off _it_  goes to where _it's_  supposed to go."

" _His_  name is Gul Whiskers, and yes, we're sending _him_  off as soon as we sort things out. I've already informed security."

\---

Garak woke up to an insistent yowling outside the bedroom door. Julian had wanted to let the cat sleep with them but he had been firm: it was staying in the living room. The doctor had grudgingly moved the basket after some back-and-forth, but now it seemed the cat was registering a protest.

"Be quiet!" Garak hissed, opening the door to scold it. It really was an odd-looking cat, with large, mismatched blue and brown eyes, large ears, a strangely wrinkled skin, and an almost-reptillian tail. Was this how all the other mammals looked under their fur?

Gul Whiskers ignored him and blithely sauntered inside their bedroom, hopping onto the bed.

"Get down from there, cat!"

The cat slowly positioned itself on Garak's pillow, giving him a slow blink.

"Shoo! Shoo! That's my spot!" The cat gave a yawn and immediately curled up to sleep. Garak briefly contemplated picking it up and throwing it out, but he knew Julian would never forgive him if he did so. With a sigh of defeat, Garak squeezed himself onto the space not occupied by the feline.

"I'll get you yet," he grumbled as he settled down. He was fully prepared to have a hard time falling back asleep, but he found the cat's warm purring soothing. His last conscious thought was that the cat's eyes were like his and Julian's.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of the crew meet the cat, and Garak finds something in common with their pet.

After breakfast, Garak marched Julian into Odo's office, a PADD in hand. Although the doctor had already informed security the day before, Garak had still insisted they should make an official report to Odo.

"And how can I help you gentlemen?" the Constable asked, glancing up from his desk.

"It's about the cat, Odo."

"Yes, I was informed about it yesterday. We've sent a message to the freighter but haven't gotten a reply yet."

"Can't you do anything else?" Garak prodded, still peevish about sharing his pillow with Gul Whiskers.

"Unless the cat proves to be a threat to station security, no."

"What is a threat to station security?" Kira asked as she stepped in to Odo's office, catching just the tail-end of the changeling's sentence.

"Er, nothing, actually. We just received a cat by mistake and we're trying to get it sorted." Julian replied, waving his hands around.

"A cat? Like Chester?"

"Um, sort of. He's an exotic breed." he replied, handing Kira the PADD.

"Julian, that's not a cat, that's a Cardassian vole. An ugly Cardassian vole." the Major barked, holding back a laugh.

"Gul Whiskers is not a _vole,_  he's a cat, and he would prefer not to be judged for his appearance." Garak suddenly snapped, feeling rather defensive.

"Um, Garak, I think we should get going." Julian hurriedly stammered, pulling his partner along with him. His partner and the major were always a volatile combination, and he really didn't want to break up a fight about a cat.

"What was that about?" Kira commented when the pair had left.

Odo just shrugged. Garak could be protective of the oddest things. He never quite knew why.

\---

Julian was going over some lab reports when he heard the infirmary door open. He looked up to see Jadzia amble in, a mischeivous glint in her eyes.

"So" the Trill said as she pull up a chair next to him. "Kira told me you and Garak got a cat? Are kids next?"

Julian sputtered as he turned around to face her. "What?! No!"

"Julian, you've moved in together, then got a pet. Kids are usually the next step." she said with a teasing grin.

"It's not… we didn't get a cat. It was delivered by mistake."

"Oh, that's too bad. And here I was thinking how cute it would be, you guys, a cat, kids. Can I see him?"

"He's, ah, he's an exotic breed." Julian hesitated before handing her the PADD, remembering Kira's reaction.

"Hmm… I like it. He's got this… Cardassian vibe to him you know? The tail, the skin… the little frowny face. I'd say he suits you two."

"Um, thanks, I guess?" Doctor Bashir replied as she got up and returned his PADD.

"You guys should keep him!" Jadzia called back as she exited the infirmary. Julian just shook his head and returned to work. She had the strangest ideas sometimes.

\---

Garak sighed as he bent over a pair of trousers. It had been the second day since they received the cat, and still no firm leads. The most the freighter could tell them was that it had been purchased for delivery as a gift, but the giver had opted to stay anonymous. He supposed he could go over the communications logs to find out more, but only if the giver was someone from the station. Still, the cat was such a small thing to potentially antagonize Odo over, so he decided not to.

Garak glanced at the feline. He was working from home this morning while the engineering team fumigated the Promenade. This afternoon he would open the shop for those picking up orders. His practiced eye noticed something– Gul Whiskers was shivering. It was rather slight, hardly something you'd notice, but to someone with Garak's training it was plain as day.

 _"Of course,"_  he thought. _"without fur, he finds this station cold, not like the other mammals."_  in that moment, Garak felt an odd sense of kinship with their cat.

\---

Julian ran into Garak's Clothiers. He couldn't find Gul Whiskers anywhere in their quarters! He knew Garak had gone to open the shop for the afternoon, but he had to ask if his partner knew where the cat went. Surely the Cardassian didn't kick it out? He knew Garak didn't like the cat but–

Julian did a double take. Sitting on Garak's table was their cat, wearing a knitted blue-and-gold sweater and matching beanie that set off its eyes beautifully.

"He was cold." Garak commented with a shrug.

"You're really starting to care for the Gul, aren't you." Julian remarked with a goofy grin as he reached to skritch under the cat's chin.

"No, dear. I told you, he was cold, so I made him those clothes. Though I admit I did think about adding a scarf, but decided it was too much."

"Mmhmm. He was cold so you * _knitted_ * him an outfit, okay. And you brought him to your shop because…?"

"Doctor, really. It was a few minutes' work with the auto-knitter" the Cardassian rolled his eyes. "And I brought him here because I just realized I've been ignoring a potentially lucrative segment of the population. And one that actually accepts * _all_ * my clothing suggestions without question at that."

"Admit it, you care about Whiskers." Julian laughed, shaking his head.

"My dear, you won't believe how many inquiries I've gotten for pet clothes since I put those on him."

Julian laughed and leaned to kiss Garak on the cheek. His partner was so cute when he was like this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian tries to bathe the cat, Garak hatches a plan

Garak entered their quarters to find it looking almost like a bomb had gone off (and he should know what that looked like, he mused.) Water had gotten everywhere, and everything was in disarray. The blankets were a tangle on the floor, pillows scattered, a smashed plate on one side, a chair tipped over on the other, their books all in a heap, and a rather angry cat was sitting on top of the bookshelf. In the midst of it all sat Julian, dripping wet, his arms, face, and chest a bloody mess.

"My dear, what happened? Were you attacked?" he exclaimed, going for the dermal regenerator they kept in the bedside drawer.

"No, actually." the doctor sheepishly replied. "I read that Sphynx cats need weekly baths to keep their skin healthy–"

"I fail to see how bathing the dear Gul would result in all this" he remarked, waving his arms at the general pandemonium.

"Well, he was pretty calm when I took him into the bathroom, but the moment I turned on the water, it was like he turned into a little Jem'hadar with bat'leths for feet.

"Hmm… that explains the injuries. What about our quarters?" Garak remarked as he passed the regenerator over Julian's cuts.

"He got out of the bathroom and I tried to chase him down."

"I see. My dear, given how cats are always depicted in Terran culture as hating water, I'm surprised your enhanced brain didn't think of the most obvious solution before you even began."

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"Use the sonic setting."

Julian groaned. He could kick himself.

\---

Julian lay on their couch with his head on Garak's lap. After taking care of his injuries, they had managed to coax Whiskers down from the bookshelf, clean him up (with the sonic setting this time,) and finally sort out their quarters.

"You know, I must say I'm impressed that such a small creature could do so much damage. I'm definitely seeing the potential here."

"Potential?"

"With suitable training, I'm sure the Gul can become a formidable protector."

"Garak! He's a cat not a dog. Cats don't quite respond to training." he chuckled.

"All the better. No one will ever expect an attack cat."

Julian rolled his eyes and turned over. An _attack cat_  indeed.

\---

Julian was typing up some research data in his office when a commotion in the infirmary caught his attention. Curious, he peeked outside to see none other than Gul Dukat, escorted by Odo and with his face sporting several gashes.

"Doctor, if you could attend to the Gul." The Constable stated with a nod.

Julian stepped out as Odo harrumphed and exited the infirmary. Had there been a brawl? There were no other injured people, so that seemed unlikely.

"Um, how did you get injured?" he asked as he readied his tricorder and dermal regenerator.

"I was walking down the Promenade when some sort of creature jumped at me. I swear doctor, when * _we_ * ran this station, we kept dangerous animals out."

"Animals? Care to describe it?" Julian frowned. If some sort of creature had gotten loose on the Promenade, they'd have to catch it before someone else got hurt.

"It was moving rather quickly, I didn't catch a good glimpse. About the size of a Cardassian wompat, with rather long claws, I'd say. Came out of nowhere, then just as quickly ran off. I can't believe you and your Federation can't manage something as simple as pest control."

"Well, you're not really giving me much to go on. I can't really report a 'creature' with such a vague description. There, you're okay now."

"Ah, I see it now," Dukat suddenly stated as he left, "it's one of your schemes, you and your _tailor._  Well, you'll need more than some _animal_  to get me." he sneered as he stalked out of the infirmary, leaving Julian scratching his head.

"Odo to Bashir" the communicator suddenly chirped. "if you could come to the security office."

"Be right there."

\---

"Doctor," the Constable greeted with a nod. "Have a seat." – a brief pause as Julian pulled up chair– "Dukat may not have seen his attacker, but I was able to view it on the security footage."

"That sounds like good news. We wouldn't want some animal attacking people. But I don't know why you're telling–" Julian was rendered speechless as Odo played the security footage. Gul Whiskers had attacked Dukat!

"I thought it best not to inform the former prefect of Bajor, but I'd like an explanation, if you please."

"Well, er, I really don't know. He's never done this sort of thing before."

"And could he have been trained?"

"Well Odo, cats are notoriously difficult to train, if not impossible." Odo harrumphed.

"Um, maybe Dukat scared him? Or accidentally hurt him? I swear Odo, I have no idea." _well, not exactly_  no _idea,_  he thought, but he wasn't sure, and it wasn't something he'd tell the constable anyway.

"In that case doctor, I'll let you off with a warning this time. And I would also ask you confine your pet to your quarters, as well as closely supervising it should you decide to let it out."

Julian nodded and made a quick exit.

\---

"Garak!" Julian yelled as he entered their quarters. The Cardassian looked up from the PADD he was reading.

"Did you know that Whiskers attacked Dukat?"

"Well, it seems a celebratory can of tuna is in order." Elim grinned as he made his way to the replicator. Hearing his favorite word, Gul Whiskers rose to follow.

"Garak, this is serious!"

"You're right dear. I'll make it two cans."

"You _trained_  him didn't you?"

"Whatever do you mean? * _You_ * said cats weren't trainable."

Julian's eyes narrowed. He'd never be able to prove it, but he knew. Somehow Garak had trained their cat to attack Dukat.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our thrilling conclusion to Who Gave Them the Cat. ;)

Garak and Julian were lounging in their quarters, Gul Whiskers asleep across their laps. Julian was reading medical journals, while Garak was knitting the cat a new sweater. The auto-knitter was faster, but he prefered to do things manually for some of the detail work.

They were enjoying the quiet evening when the doorbell rang. Garak shot Julian a confused look. They weren't expecting anyone.

Moving the cat, Julian put aside his PADD and rose to answer the door. He found an irate-looking Keiko with Miles in tow. "May we come in? My husband has some explaining to do."

Julian nodded, moving aside to let them in. Garak smiled at Keiko and politely ignored Miles as the couple seated themselves on the couch.

Miles squirmed in his seat. He fidgeted, not really knowing where to start. He coughed, stalling, until Keiko elbowed him and fixed him with her steely glare.

"I uh, Julian, um… I… er, I was the one who ordered the cat." he stammered, looking at his boots.

"I just found out when I was using the computer today. If I had known I would have stopped him." Keiko added, rolling her eyes.

"I was drunk." Miles sheepishly added by way of explanation.

Julian just shook his head, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose is exasperation. What had his friend been thinking?! And how would Garak react to this? So far his partner hadn't even looked up from his knitting, but one never knew, with Garak.

"And you decided buying our friends a cat without telling them would be a good idea? Miles, you know what a big responsibility a pet is!" Keiko scolded.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just– I saw the eyes an' bought it, I think. I can take it back if you want…?" the Chief replied, scratching his nape. He was clearly flustered.

Julian sighed. So this was it. Gul Whiskers was going back.

"That won't be necessary, Chief." Garak remarked, glancing up from his knitting.

"Er, really? I thought you guys didn't like the cat." Miles replied.

"Julian has grown rather fond of it."

"Me?! You're the one knitting the cat an outfit!" Doctor Bashir replied incredulously.

"And you were the one who brought him home, named him, and spent a week's worth of replicator credits on cat supplies."

"He needed those supplies!"

"Yes, and he's cold Julian, he also needs the clothes. The various toys _you_  replicate, on the other hand–"

"You also take him with you to work! Everyday!"

"I told you, he models pet clothes and keeps voles away. Besides, you're just upset you can't bring him to the infirmary."

"Hah! Excuses! At least I don't spend my latinum renting a holosuite for a cat!"

"It's not like you have latinum to spend, dear. And those holosuite sessions are good for him, unlike your holosuite time with the Chief."

Miles looked at Keiko. Keiko looked at Miles. They'd seen this before. Quietly, they got up and left Julian and Garak to their 'arguing,' with Gul Whiskers peacefully asleep on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the holosuite is how Garak trained Gul Whiskers to attack Dukat
> 
> [Now with art!](https://eilupt.tumblr.com/post/171706451208/julian-and-garak-enjoy-morning-cuddles-gul)


End file.
